What's On Tonight (Friday): More Tricks, Fewer Treats...

  

It: Welcome to Derry

It's Halloween so we've only got four premieres that almost no one will care about.  Three of them are international imports and the fourth is an A&E murder show, so you know we're in the dregs.  Luckily HBO Max is giving you episode two of It: Welcome to Derry a couple days early.  I am not a horror guy (at least not a movie/TV horror guy; I've read most of King's books) but I've read good things about the first episode.  If you want to watch something new, this might be your answer.

(Yes, I know the premiere of It: Welcome to Derry just received Top Pick on Sunday.  That is how paltry the offerings are today.)

On the other hand, should you choose to shun horror, Comedy Central is premiering a new appropriately spooky episode of South Park.  The episode, titled "The Woman in the Hat," is about something haunting the White House after the destruction of the East Wing.  It also is about Stan's family not being able to afford a house and moving in with his father at the retirement home.  I leave it to you to decide which storyline is more horrifying.

TOP PICK

⭐🤡 It: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 'A group of misfits vow to find their missing classmate; at Derry Air Force Base, Major Leroy Hanlon arrives to a mixed reception.'✔️

Elsewhere... 

PREMIERES

Dime Tu Nombre

🔔 Dime Tu Nombre (Amazon, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'The inhabitants of Río Blanco, a strawberry-growing village, have accepted that the Moroccan seasonal workers settle in Fuensanta, an abandoned village. But the coexistence generates tensions. What none of them imagine is that Fuensanta's foundations hide something capable of unleashing their worst nightmares.'✔️

🔔 Tremembé (Amazon, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'Delves into Brazil’s notorious Tremembé Penitentiary Complex, home to some of the country’s most infamous criminals. Inside the prison, the series uncovers intrigues, unlikely alliances, and love triangles among the inmates, blending real stories of crimes that shocked the nation with a reflection on justice, redemption, and complex human relationships in extreme conditions.'

🔔 Bad Influencer (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'A single mother — and luxury bag counterfeiter — finds herself teaming up with a self-obsessed influencer to sell her bags and scrape her way out of debt.'✔️

💀 Murder on Trial (A&E, 9:00 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Takes you inside America's most gripping homicide cases. From crime scenes and interrogations to bodycam footage and courtroom showdowns, every moment is raw, real, and unfiltered. Watch detectives chase down leads, prosecutors go head-to-head with defense attorneys, and juries wrestle with life-or-death decisions.

 RETURNING SHOWS

🫁 Breathless (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON TWO.✔️

🎵 Rhythm + Flow France (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON FOUR.

💀 Murder at the Motel (A&E, 10:01 PM) SEASON TWO PREMIERE.

STREAMING

🍽️ Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Maybe I'm an Inspector" 

🔔 The Last Frontier (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Arnaq" 

🌍 The Reluctant Traveler (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Going Wild for a Weekend in Vancouver" SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 The Graft (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 The Thaw (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

🐈 Cat's Eye (Hulu, 3:01 AM) 

🍰 The Great British Baking Show (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 The Guest (Paramount, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Tougen Anki (Netflix, 11:31 AM) 

👮 Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

Breathless

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏀 NBA Basketball: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia Seventy Sixers (Amazon, 7:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: Memphis Tigers at Rice Owls (ESPN2, 7:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: Brown Bears at Pennsylvania Quakers (ESPNU, 7:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: North Carolina Tar Heels at Syracuse Orange (ESPN, 7:30 PM)

🏈 College Football: Sam Houston State Bearkats at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (CBSSN, 8:00 PM)

⚾ 2025 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays (Fox, 8:00 PM)

🏀 NBA Basketball: Los Angeles Lakes at Memphis Grizzlies (Amazon, 9:30 PM)

🏌️ LPGA Tour Golf: 2025 Maybank Championship - Round 3 (Golf, 9:30 PM)

🏈 College Football: Idaho Vandals at Northern Arizona Lumberjacks f (ESPN2, 10:30 PM)

🕖 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

👮 Sheriff County (CBS, 8:00 PM) 'When a daring daylight robbery shakes the heart of Edgewater, Sheriff Mickey Fox must navigate rising tensions, personal entanglements and a town quick to judge.'

🦀 Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel, 8:00 PM) 'After six relentless weeks at sea, man and machine push past the breaking point; Keith seeks medical care in Anchorage, the Wizard loses steering in 20-foot seas.'

🧛 Va(mpirina (Disney Channel, 8:00 PM) 'While Vee struggles to tell her friends her diagnosis, Sophie brings her pet bunny to school; Demi and Britney invite Dean Merriweather to join their a cappella group.'

💲Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (ABC, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (CW, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 On Brand with Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 

🔔 Belle Collective (OWN, 8:00 PM) 

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 The Braxtons (WE, 8:00 PM) 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

🔥 Fire Country (CBS, 9:00 PM) 'The Station 42 team responds to a dangerous zipline accident that escalates into a wildfire due to illegal fireworks; Sharon struggles with letting go of Vince's belongings and unexpectedly finds comfort in Vince's ex, Renee.'

🤠 The State of Barbecue: A Texas Monthly Special (PBS, 9:00 PM) 'Profiles of barbecue joints with deep legacies and innovative approaches; an extended segment about the making of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints List.'

👽 The Unexplained (History, 9:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 'Beneath our feet lie hidden ancient tunnels, sacred caves and shadowy passages into a world of darkness shaped by nature, carved by man and steeped in myth; seeing if the underground realms are mere remnants of the past or they guard secrets.'

🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:00 PM) 
🐶 Totally Funny Animals (CW, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Murder on Trial (A&E, 9:00 PM) 

Bad Influencer

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

👮 Boston Blue (CBS, 10:00 PM) 'A body found on the Boston wharf pulls Lena and Danny into a tense drug investigation; Jonah and Sean chase down a missing man tied to a scavenger hunt; Sarah and Mae navigate emotional challenges at home and in court.'

💀 Murder at the Motel (A&E, 10:01 PM) 'Late on the night of March 19, 2017, police respond to a call from a witness who hears a gunshot at the Surf Motel on Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento, California; at the motel, they find the body of 53-year-old Leonora Montoya.'

🔔 South Park (Comedy Central, 10:00 PM) 'The White House deals with a disruptive spirit from the east wing; Stan worries that South Park has become too political.'✔️

🔔 East Harbor Heroes (Discovery Channel, 10:00 PM) 'When a load of dangerous goods sails in, a rookie operator is tested with the offload, while a family of fishermen hook the ultimate catch.'

🍽️ Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman (USA, 10:00 PM) 
🔔 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10:00 PM) 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 'Guests include Oscar Isaac, Malala Yousafzai and musical guest Audrey Hobert.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 AM) 'Larry David on "A Conversation with Larry David"; Joel Kim Booster on "Loot"; Diane von Furstenberg.'

🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

Bewitched (Antennae, 5:00 AM - 11:00 PM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:05 PM); South Park (Comedy Central, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Roseanne (CMT, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM); Living Single (TV One, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); The Golden Girls (TVLand, 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM); The Facts of Life (Logo, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM); Parks and Recreation (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM); The Office (Comedy Central, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Nanny (Logo, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM); Seinfeld (TV Land, 6:00 PM - 5:00 AM); Three's Company (Logo, 11:00 PM - 6:00 AM); Bewitched (Antenna, 12:00 AM - 5:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Actor Bob Hope; author Gore Vidal; actor Steve Landesberg.'

South Park

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Rotten Tomatoes; YouTube; TV Guide; TV Passport

⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included